Sean Penn Finished the Mitzva He Started

Sean Penn is not halachicly Jewish, but he still seems to know how to finish the Mitzva that he started, as per the dictum המתחיל במצוה אומרים לו גמור.

A year ago, I wrote a post entitled What We Can Learn from Sean Penn.  At the time, he secured the release of Jacob (Yanky) Ostreicher to house arrest.  Then, I wrote:

Sean has been at the forefront of helping Yanky Ostreicher regain his freedom from the prisons of repressive Bolivia.  And for that, we must give him credit where credit is due.  And the recently released-to-house-arrest Ostreicher has praised him too.

I also wrote then (after quoting from Parshat Vayehi):

Sean Penn being buddy-buddy with Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales was, in our limited minds, thought to be a bad thing.  However, Hashem meant it for good to bring about a salvation.  May the salvation be completed soon.

Baruch Hashem that salvation has pretty much been completed, as he has been brought to the United States, and it very much seems that Sean Penn is behind it.

The Sacramento Bee, quoting AP:

LA PAZ, Bolivia -- Actor Sean Penn said Tuesday that he's with Jacob Ostreicher after the New York businessman was secretly spirited out of Bolivia, where he's been fighting for more than two years to clear his name in a money-laundering investigation.

Penn said in an email that Ostreicher is safe, doing well and receiving medical attention at an undisclosed location.

In the statement sent to The Associated Press, Penn said a "humanitarian operation" had been mounted to extract Ostreicher "from the corrupt prosecution and imprisonment he was suffering in Bolivia." He didn't provide additional details or say who was behind it, and he didn't respond to questions sent by the AP.

And from Matzav:

For now, it is clear that Mr. Penn deserves great credit for seemingly orchestrating the escape of Ostreicher from Bolivia.

So, thank you, Sean Penn for not giving up on your Mitzva and following through with it to its completion.  As I said last time, we have much to learn from you.

May Hakadosh Baruch Hu continue to bring all Jewish captives home, as it says:

וּפְדוּיֵי יְהוָה יְשׁוּבוּן וּבָאוּ צִיּוֹן בְּרִנָּה וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם עַל רֹאשָׁם שָׂשׂוֹן וְשִׂמְחָה יַשִּׂיגוּן נָסוּ יָגוֹן וַאֲנָחָה

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.